Homecoming
by dragoongfa
Summary: Erza and Kagura return to the ruins of their home village.


**_Homecoming_**

_'__Now what job should I take?'_ Erza thought as she browsed the jobs available on the S-class job board. _'Kill a Kraken. Reward: 5.000.000 Jewel… Not in the mood to go out to the sea right now_…' She looked at the other jobs on the board. _'Bring an intact sample of the man-eating Tyrannicus Rexanicus tree. Reward 8.000.000 jewel… I don't know anything about gardening.'_ Since Fairy Tail's victory on the grand magic games jobs requests begun to flood the guild, including numerous lucrative S-class jobs. _'Capture an extremely dangerous escaped convict. Reward: 6.000.000 Jewel… This sounds more like it.'_ Erza took the job offering and went downstairs.

As she passed by the ordinary jobs board she couldn't help but notice Juvia pestering Gajeel.

"If only Gray had asked Juvia to go with him." A crying Juvia said to Gajeel. "Now Juvia feels that he is in danger."

"Damn it Juvia! I am trying to find a job here." Gajeel complained.

"You don't understand!" Juvia yelled. "That Nardessian Harpy, thinking that she is so great tricking Gray to make ice sculptures for her birthday party. Juvia knows that she will use her riches to lure Gray away from her." Juvia said as she started crying. "Juvia is depressed."

"And what do I have to do with any of that?" Gajeel asked and Juvia's expression instantly turned to one of insanity.

"We will go and crush the party of the spoiled sow that wants to steal Juvia's love."

"I swear; sometimes you are really scary…" Gajeel managed to mutter.

"So you will help Juvia!" She replied triumphantly as she grabbed Gajeel and tried to drag him towards the doors, bumping into Erza at the process.

"You shouldn't interfere in your fellow guildmate's jobs, Juvia." Erza said with a commanding voice. "Especially if that job revolves around the birthday of a 12 year old girl… That would be…" Erza's eyes betrayed a nearly uncontrolled rage as she spoke. "Unforgivable…" Juvia stood mortified at the spot, looking at Erza with watery eyes; in the meantime Gajeel managed to break free of Juvia's grip and quickly grabbed a job from the board.

"Demolish a building. Reward 50.000 Jewels… Just what I have been looking for!" Gajeel said out loud as he run outside.

"Gajeel! Wait, Juvia still needs your help…" Juvia cried out as Erza dragged her back to the jobs board.

"Let's see if we can find something to take your mind off things…" Erza said to Juvia who struggled to free herself from her grip.

"Hmm… Arrest a bandit gang? No, too dangerous for the bandits… Help in magical research? No, too boring… How about this? Lifeguard for a private school's beach party?" Erza asked Juvia who still struggled to break free. "No? That job is tailored for you. On to the next one then… Banish the ghosts that haunt the ruins of Rosemary village." Erza stood petrified as she stared at the job offering.

"Erza you are hurting Juvia." Juvia yelled as Erza subconsciously tightened her grip. Erza then grabbed the lifeguard job and forcibly gave it to Juvia.

"Do this one."

"But I don't want to." Juvia complained. "I want to go to…"

"Do this one!" Erza said with her most commanding voice scaring Juvia, who instantly took the job offering and run outside. Without looking Erza took the other job offering from the board.

'_Banish the ghosts that haunt the ruins of Rosemary village. Reward 100.000 Jewel._

_Description: Ghosts from the ruins of Rosemary village are scaring travelers and terrorize the neighboring town of Akakia. Agnous Marian the mayor of Akakia requests a mage to banish these ghosts. Further information will be given on site.'_

Erza walked towards the bar with grim determination and gave the job offering to Mirajane.

"I will be away from the guild for a few days, maybe even a week, to do this one." She said to Mirajane.

"I don't think that it will take you that long to capture an escaped convict, no matter how dangerous he is." Mirajane replied.

"What? I still had that?" Erza gave her the other job offering. "I meant this one!"

"Are you sure?" Mirajane asked. "It's too easy…"

"I am sure." Erza replied and made to leave.

"What about this one?" Mirajane asked as she waved the S-class job.

"You can have it." Erza replied as she went out of the doors without looking back.

"I don't want too… I will just put it back." Mirajane muttered as she started to read the description. "On the other hand, I can't let this one run loose…"

* * *

After a mad dash to Magnolia's train station and two eventful train changes, Erza finally sat at the platform where the last train to Akakia would pass. It was late at night and only a handful of people were waiting at the platform. She sat alone at a bench, completely lost in thought; next to her was the single suitcase she had the time to prepare before her dash to Magnolia's train station.

"I thought that you might want some company." Kagura Mikazuchi said as she sat next to Erza, catching her completely by surprise.

"It would be a lie if I said that I didn't expect you here." Erza replied while Kagura took a piece of paper out of one of her pockets.

"Banish the ghosts that haunt the ruins of Rosemary village." Kagura read the paper out loud and Erza nodded in agreement. "It was hard to keep Millianna from coming…"

"The others were on jobs of their own when I saw it." Erza replied and remained thoughtful for a few moments. "Would you mind if we do this one together?"

"No, not at all."

"Have you ever been back?" Erza asked after a few moments.

"No…"

"Neither have I…"

"Thinking about it was hard." Kagura commented.

"It is…" Erza agreed.

A few minutes of silence passed and the train to Akakia finally stopped in front of them.

"Now we are going back there to banish ghosts." Kagura said as they stood up to enter the train.

"The ride to Akakia is at least ten hours long." Erza said as they boarded the train. "I have a cabin and I wouldn't mind your company." Kagura smiled at Erza's invitation.

"Only if I take the top bunk."

"Deal."

In the few minutes that took them to find their cabin and settle in, the train had already left the station. Erza requipped instantly in her pajamas, while Kagura changed into hers.

"Requip magic can be really handy." Kagura commented as she climbed on her bunk.

"It is." Erza replied. "How's Millianna?"

"Catty as always!" Kagura replied with a laugh. "Her last job was to capture a baby bullmouse. She was somewhat successful."

"Somewhat successful?" Erza asked.

"No one had told her that young bullmice may be the size of a mouse but the adults are almost as big as an average dog. She catches one and was about to go deliver it to the client when the bullmouse's entire family showed up and started chasing her. After an epic chase through a forest, the client's hometown and a cold river she finally gave up and released the small bullmouse only to have it bite her before going back to its family. In the end the client, who wanted the bullmouse as a pet, decided that it was a stupid idea, especially after seeing a dozen fully grown bullmice rampage through his town. He compensated her for her trouble and she returned to the guild soaking wet, cold and angry."

"Poor Millianna." Erza said with a laugh.

"How about you?"

"I had just returned from a hard job when I saw the job offer."

"A hard job?"

"I went with my team to save a village of Giants that was completely frozen. I ended up turning into a child and had a run in with Minerva."

"Minerva?"

"She has taken a dark path… she joined Succubus Eye and she has become stronger. Be careful if you run into her, she is not the same as she used to be."

"I will, although she isn't the only one who has gotten stronger." Kagura replied. "So what happened next?"

"Natsu and the others managed to save the village and Minerva run off when that happened, vowing that we will continue our clash on a grander scale."

"That's the definition of a hard job." Kagura commented and remained silent for a few moments. "I never thanked you…"

"For what?"

"For showing us that vengeance wouldn't bring an end to the pain."

"It never goes away when one's entire life revolves around it." Erza replied.

"It was hard to abandon the habits of a lifetime." Kagura replied. "The girls say that I have lightened up a bit."

"I am glad." Erza replied. "You always had an unsettling grim determination at the games."

"I was voted the coolest mage by the Sorcerer for a reason you know." Kagura complained. "Also, as a friend, I have to say that your combat armors are too revealing."

"Too revealing?" Erza snapped back. "I never heard any complaints from anyone before."

"That's because everyone was busy ogling you! I swear Erza if I didn't know any better I would say that you revel in that kind of attention."

"What? I want you to know that I only wear armors that I find both visually appealing and magically practical."

"Then your visual taste is still that of a teenage girl." Kagura replied. "Come to think of it… Yes you are at least a few years younger than me."

"Younger? As I recall I was born a few years before you did."

"Oh I didn't say that I am older than you chronologically but I am older than you if you count the seven years you lost at Tenrou island. How old are you really? 19? 20 at the most?"

"Well…" Erza managed to mutter in embarrassment.

"See? I am older than you and as an older, wiser friend; I will have to take you out shopping one day." Kagura said with a laugh.

"We should go to sleep." A flustered Erza replied and turned to her side.

"Erza…are you sleeping?" Kagura whispered a few minutes later.

"Having some trouble doing that."

"I am curious…How close are you with Jellal?"

"Close? Wait…Why…How…What do you mean?" Kagura chuckled as she felt Erza squirm below her.

"That close huh?" Kagura said with a teasing voice.

"We don't really have any kind of relationship, I don't even know how to get in touch with him and I haven't really heard anything from him since the games and…"

"And…" Kagura pushed the subject.

"It's complicated." Erza said with a resigned tone. "I know that he has feelings for me and I know that I have feelings for him but…"

"But what?"

"I know that he was manipulated, I know that he has regretted and actively tries to make amends but do I really know who he is anymore? Dark Magic can control, even change a person's personality, Jellal was under the influence of such magic but is the fact that he isn't controlled anymore enough? Is he the person I used to know? Even if he is, we haven't really come to know each other at all." Erza laughed in embarrassment. "I regret not insisting to go with him, to support him, to make sure that he will not stray from the right path. If he had asked I may had gone with him but he wanted to keep me away; I have to respect his wishes."

"You are right; That is complicated." Kagura commented.

"How about you? Do you have someone who is close?"

"What?"

"Come on, your sister told you her story, time to say yours." It was Erza's turn to tease Kagura.

"I told you that I was kidding on the sister thing."

"I am still waiting."

"I don't have to answer that."

"Yes you do."

"Just go to sleep."

"Oh…Now you want to go to sleep?" Kagura didn't reply for a few moments and started faking sounds of sleeping annoying Erza, who pushed Kagura's bunk upwards and to the side.

"KYYAAA" Kagura managed to cry before she crashed onto the floor with a spectacular thump. "Now you have done it!" Kagura yelled as she threw her pillow to a laughing Erza.

* * *

"Please, please, come in." Agnous Marian said hurriedly as he opened the door to his office. "Please forgive me; I didn't really expect someone to come so soon after posting the job, especially two Grand Magic games finalists." The mayor's office was tidy and clean, with a small wooden desk decorated with family pictures. Numerous bookshelves and a cupboard covered most of the walls, while the window drapes were open to let the light in. "Please sit." The mayor said as he waved to the two chairs in front of his office. "My daughter is going to kill me when she finds out that you came to our small town and she wasn't here; she is a huge fan of both of you." The mayor said embarrassing both Erza and Kagura. "But look at me, talking so much, that I completely forgot my manners. I am Agnous Marian, Mayor of Akakia and I am the one who sent for that job." Mayor Agnous said as he shook hands with both of them. "Can I offer you something? Tea? Coffee? Some Juice? I apologize for not having any alcohol; I am kind of allergic to it."

"There is no need." Kagura replied.

"How about you Miss Scarlet?"

"We got breakfast just before we got here but if you insist I will have some tea." Erza replied.

"Tea it is then." The Mayor replied and immediately went to the cupboard and started preparing two cups of tea. "Excuse me for asking, I don't really know anything about the world of magic guilds but I thought that mages from different guilds rarely cooperate on a job."

"It's usually frowned upon." Kagura replied. "But we both have our reasons to cooperate this time."

"Reasons?" He asked but he figured the answer in an instant. "You are both survivors of Rosemary aren't you?" He asked, surprising both women who just nodded in reply.

"It all makes sense now. Two of the nation's strongest mages accepting what others have told me it's an easy job." The mayor said with a solemn voice. "I understand…I was part of the group that was sent to investigate…What we found…Shook us." He gave Erza her cup of tea then offered the other one to Kagura who reluctantly accepted it. "I am sure that you will want to get things done as quickly as possible." The mayor continued. "I will just tell you everything I know then."

"That would be best." Kagura agreed and seeped some of her tea.

"It all started a couple of months ago. Travelers who frequented the road that passes closest to Rosemary started seeing weird lights coming from the ruins. I sent a small team to investigate but they didn't find anything out of the ordinary. A few days later ghostly figures were first sighted on the same road, they didn't do anything and they didn't harm anyone but everyone started avoiding that road as much as possible. As time passed there have been more and more sightings, all of them near the ruins but almost a week ago some of these ghosts appeared at the outskirts of Akakia. People got scared and I decided to look into the matter myself, I went to the village with a small team and we found it infested with ghosts." The mayor shook his head. "I don't really know how to deal with this and Akakia is a small town with only a handful of magic hobbyists. Thus I sent the job request to every major guild, hoping that the funds I managed to gather would be enough."

"We will look into the matter." Erza said. "You said that the ghosts haven't harmed anyone. What exactly have they done thus far?"

"They scream, they shriek, they startle people. They just make their presence as strongly felt as possible. People are scared that things are going to get worse if nothing is done about them."

"You don't have to worry; ghosts are mostly harmless unless a mage takes control of them." Kagura said as she stood up followed closely by Erza. "We will make sure that the ghosts of Rosemary will find their rest."

"Before you go, can I ask you a favor?" The mayor asked as he started to look into his desk's drawers. "Could you please sign an autograph for my daughter?" Frustrated he looked on a bookshelf next to his desk. "Here they are!" He gave them two pictures taken during the Grand Magic games. "Chloe has entire albums of these lying around and she forgot these two the last time she was here."

One of the pictures was of Erza when she fought the 100 monsters during the Pandemonium event while the other was of Kagura's duel with Yukino. They each signed their pictures and then they signed each other's.

"I would have done the same without getting hit as much." Kagura said as she signed Erza's picture.

"I would have ended it sooner." Erza replied as she signed Kagura's picture.

* * *

Knowing that it was a fair distance from the town, they decided to rent a pair of horses and even then it took them a couple of hours to reach the ruins of Rosemary.

"It doesn't feel right." Erza said as they entered the village.

"It doesn't." Kagura replied.

They passed through the long abandoned ruins, making their way to what used to be the Rosemary's school.

"I remember the fire." Erza said. "And the horrid smell that came with it."

"The fire burned down half of the village." Kagura didn't try to hide the fact that she avoided looking at the ruins as they passed by. "Sometimes; when I sleep, that smell still comes back to me."

Kagura stopped in front of a small ruined house, all that remained of it were a couple of still hanging stone pillars, some rotting wood and the rubble of the fallen walls.

"This used to be our house, Simon and I lived here alone after our parents passed away." Kagura got off her horse and walked into the ruined house. "There was a small fireplace here, we used to play, read and sleep next to it when it was cold. Simon used to cook on it too, I tried to cook a few times as well but he always made the food tastier than I could. We had a chest with our meager belongings at a corner over there; I remember it because I put a small dress Simon got me for my birthday in it." Kagura wiped away her tears as they started flowing down her cheeks. "When everything was quiet I came here looking for Simon but all I found was our burning home." Kagura steeled herself and got back onto her horse.

"Are you alright?" Erza asked.

"I am fine…I have cried more than enough tears years ago."

"I understand."

They kept going further into the village and after a couple of minutes it was Erza's turn to stop in front of a ruined house.

"I believe that this was my home…" Erza got off her horse and walked towards the ruined house in front of her. There was almost nothing left of it, only some of the foundations were still visible. "Yes it was my home. I don't remember much, I can't even remember what my last name used to be; Porlyusca said that my memory loss is due to deep emotional trauma." She looked around, trying to find something to make her remember but there was almost nothing left. "I do vaguely remember my parents, their voices, how they behaved but I can't remember their faces. Mother was a strict but kind woman, she nagged to my father a lot but she always smiled when my father tried to make her laugh. My father was an amazing, kind man; he always wanted to make people laugh. He helped anyone who needed his help without asking anything in return." Erza kneeled and took a rock from the ground. "I remember that they run a grocery store while our home was on the floor above it." Erza looked around for a couple of minutes but suddenly she started trembling as she remembered her traumatic history.

"It must have been hard." Kagura said to bring her back to the present.

"It was…I wouldn't have made it without their help…Rob, Simon, Jellal, Millianna, everyone…I was weak but they helped me stand."

"Now you are strong enough to help other people stand."

"Let's get going." Erza said as she climbed back onto her horse.

After a while they reached the ruins of the school, the impromptu center of Rosemary. Only a few ruined walls and the rugged fence that once surrounded the school's playground remained. In front of the ruins however stood a stone tablet with a small inscription written on it.

**_Here stood the village of Rosemary, destroyed by worshippers of the dark mage Zeref during a child hunt._**

Below the inscription a handful of signatures were carved into the stone. They read the names and Kagura gasped when she saw Simon's signature.

"Those that survived came back and carved their names here." Erza said as she re equipped a small knife and kneeled in front of the stone slab.

"Do you have a spare?"

"Here." Erza re equipped a second knife and offered it to Kagura who immediately started carving her name next to Simon's. As they finished they stood up and looked at the stone slab.

"Less than a dozen managed to make it back." Kagura said.

"Perhaps there are some who are still afraid to come back."

"It's painful." Kagura agreed and started to tear up. "If I had come back first and had carved my name then…" Kagura grabbed her sword and immediately turned around as they saw their horses run away; Erza was at her side in an instant with a sword already in hand. All around them a multitude of ghostly figures had appeared and just stood there.

"I forgot about these." Erza said.

"Me too." Kagura replied.

As one, the ghosts started shrieking and howling while slowly closing the distance between them and the two mages.

"Have you ever dealt with ghosts before?" Kagura asked.

"Yeah, have you?" Kagura simply nodded in confirmation. "Let's try not to cause any damage to the ruins then." Erza said and attacked the ghost closest to her only to have her sword pass through it with no effect; she instinctively jumped back only to see Kagura's attack meeting the same fate.

"Any magic attack should have some effect on any ghost. Both of our swords are imbued with magic yet the attacks had no effect." Erza said.

"The answer is simple." Kagura replied as she lowered her sword.

"These are not ghosts, they are illusions." Erza agreed and re equipped her sword away. Both of them stood still as the ghosts approached them, screaming and howling as they did but once they passed through them they suddenly disappeared.

"It looks like they are following a set chain of commands. If a mage was directly controlling them they wouldn't have dispelled in such a way. There should be a few lacrima crystals hidden in the vicinity." Kagura said.

"I will go find the horses. Try to look for some of those crystals." Erza said as she went after the horses while Kagura started looking for the crystals; when she returned a couple of minutes later with the horses she had a crystal in her hands.

"I found one when I found the horses." Erza said as she gave the lacrima crystal to Kagura.

"There was a couple hidden in the school's ruins." Kagura said as she showed Erza her findings. They kept looking and after a short search they had collected a small pile of crystals.

"Someone went into a lot of trouble setting these up." Erza said. "But these crystals should only be able to cover a small area with illusions."

"A mage must be responsible for the ghosts that were seen at the road and the ones near Akakia. Someone would have undoubtedly have found the crystals if they were placed near the town." Kagura commented.

"It should be easy to fi…" The sound of someone running towards them forced them to get their swords ready once again but they lowered their guard once they saw that it was an out of breath teenage girl.

"I…" The girl gasped as she tried to catch her breath while Erza and Kagura sheathed their weapons. "I am sorry…" The girl gasped again. "Please don't tell my father." The girl managed to say after a few moments. Kagura and Erza looked at each other in confusion.

"Are you responsible for the illusions?" Erza asked.

"Yes…" The girl sat on the ground gasping. "I will explain everything…Just let me catch my breath." The girl then looked at them and gasped in shock. "Erza Scarlet and Kagura Mikazuchi!" She managed to yell before she started coughing violently.

"Don't start yelling if you can't even catch your breath." Erza yelled at her.

"I am sorry…It's just that I am a huge fan of yours." The girl said when calmed down. "I am Chloe Marian and I am responsible for all of this."

"Why did you do all this?" Erza asked with a firm tone as Kagura looked angrily at Chloe.

"I figured that if everyone believed that the village was haunted then my father would not dare destroy it." Chloe replied.

"Go on." Erza said as she exchanged glances with a confused Kagura.

"My father is a good man, I know he means well but I couldn't just let him do it."

"Why would he want to destroy what's left?" Kagura asked.

"Because no one wants to have a site where dark mages might return; that's his excuse but it's more than that. Many from the town had relatives living here, my uncle, my father's younger brother, moved here with his pregnant wife a couple of months before the attack. My father was the one who found them…It hit him hard."

"A lot of people had relatives here." Kagura replied.

"He wants to move on, many in the village feel like that. It reminds them of so much sadness; I understand how he feels but it is wrong. If the village is destroyed then everyone will pretend that it never was here, that what happened never happened." Chloe remained silent in thought for a few moments. "I cannot explain it but I believe that erasing what is left will mean that those who destroyed the village have won."

"We understand you father." Erza said as she turned to look to the stone tablet. "We both haven't come back since that day; even walking down these streets has been hard for us."

"But you are not wrong." Kagura continued. "Rosemary is a testament to the fact that darkness and madness exists in the world. Destroying it is like turning our sight elsewhere when we see that same darkness."

"I…I am sorry, I didn't realize that you were both from Rosemary." Chloe fell to her knees as she apologized. "I…I believe that I have something to show to both of you."

* * *

"As you heard mayor, there weren't any ghosts in Rosemary, they were just magic illusions created by your daughter and her friends." Kagura said to the shocked mayor of Akakia as Chloe finished her explaining to her father.

"Why did you do all that Chloe?" Mayor Marian asked.

"I couldn't just let you destroy the village father!" Chloe replied.

"You foolish whelp." Mayor Marian slapped his hand on his desk. "You don't understand anything."

"I know that it is hard for you father but it is wrong to erase the past." Chloe cried back.

"Hard!" The mayor yelled back. "You weren't even born yet and you dare speak about hard." He buried his face in his palms as he continued. "I dug them out from the burned out ruins of their house, they were in each other's arms when they were killed by a single sword thrust. Ellie was 7 months pregnant and my brother held her in his arms as they died; my baby brother died with his wife and unborn child in his arms and I was the one who found their charred remains and you say that it was just hard?" He sobbed as he continued. "I tried everything to forget about that, booze, women, even magic and in the end I ended up a penniless drunkard. Your mother was the one who dug me from the gutter and lit my life while you and your brother became my anchor." He stood up with tears flowing from his eyes and looked out of his window. "For a time I forgot but they still come back to me... I can't go on like this."

Erza took out a lacrima crystal from a small bag and after she cast a spell voices started coming out of it.

"Hey Michael, are you sure this is on?" The voice of a man was heard.

"Yes I am sure." Another man replied.

"I believe it is on sir." A boy replied.

"Let's see…Where I put that damn paper?" The first man said. "Here it is…" The man took a deep breath before he continued. "This is a proof of concept for the voice recording lacrima that we have been working on for the last couple of weeks, we are pretty sure that someone, somewhere has already done this before but we thought it best to do this ourselves."

"Get to the point already." The second man replied.

"I am sorry for the interruption but my colleague, who just wants to impress his beautiful pregnant wife, wants me to finish so he can take the spotlight with his explanation of the visual illusions."

"Says the man who wants to scare his wife with the same illusion crystals."

"That's the sign of a healthy marriage!" The first man complained.

"The same man also wants to have a recording of his redhead tomboy of a girl as she ruins a theater play."

"What? My Erza is not a tomboy and she won't ruin that theater play, she will be the festival's star."

"Star?" They boy interrupted both of the men. "No one other than my sister will be the festival's star; Kagura has the singing voice of an angel."

"Simon you brat whose side are you?" The first man said in irritation.

"I am sorry sir but Kagura is far cuter than Erza!" The boy replied.

"Why you little…" The first man was interrupted as the voice of Michael took over again. "Well, as the two other participants of this little experiment chase each other I want to finish what my colleague started. We have been working for the last month to create various illusion and recording lacrima crystals for the village's festival, this is our first try on a voice recording lacrima and we are hopeful that it will be a success." The sounds of running were heard at the background. "Hey will you two just quit it already…"

The crystal in Erza's hands became quiet again and the mayor remained dumbstruck as he looked at it.

"The man with your brother was my father…I can't remember his name but I do remember his voice and his cheery character. The boy, Simon, was Kagura's brother; he, like me, was kidnapped along with the rest of the children. He was ultimately killed in front of me by the same darkness that killed your brother. I was tortured to near death, humiliated and watched many of my friends die from the same darkness." Erza said as she looked at the crystal.

"They didn't want any of this." Kagura said. "They didn't want us to be sad or cry about them, they wanted us to be happy and to live on with our lives but it is hard to turn a blind eye to the past."

"It is…" The mayor agreed.

"Your daughter found this crystal in the school's ruined basement, which they used it as a magic workshop." Erza continued. "With their limited knowledge they were working on a small magic show for the village's festival that would normally take place a few weeks after what happened. She didn't know a lot about magic, she and a few of her friends studied what they could from what they found and created the illusions; they didn't know how to activate this crystal but it was easy to do so for a couple of skilled mages."

"It was good to hear his voice again." Kagura said.

"It was…" The mayor agreed. "Even in the ruins there was something good left from them." He wiped his tears away and looked at a picture on his desk. "I wonder what Michael was working on."

* * *

They worked hard for an entire day but now they could just stand back and watch at what they accomplished.

"I am glad that we came back." Kagura said.

"We would never have seen this if we hadn't." Erza agreed as they watched the magic fireworks above them.

"They were novices but they put their heart into it and after all these years we see what they wanted us to see." Kagura said as a crude illusionary dragon spat fire above them.

"Even after all this time their kindness still lights the dark."

A lot of people from Akakia had gathered to witness the illusion fireworks display at Rosemary, all of them were at first afraid but now they watched in awe at the show above them. The mayor and his family stood together as they watched, tears flowing from his eyes.

"You know; if someone would have said to me that you loved to sing I would say that they are crazy." Erza said.

"I still sing…Sometimes…" Kagura replied. "I heard you still like to act"

"When the opportunity arises." Erza replied.

"Have you gotten better at it?" Kagura teased Erza.

"What's that supposed to mean?" An embarrassed Erza asked.

"I have read some of the reviews of the plays you participated. If I remember correctly the phrase '_So bad its good' _popped far too many times." Kagura replied with the same teasing voice.

"That's a lie; there was a standing ovation every time we finished a play."

"That's because it was finally over."

"Is there something you want to say you failed singer?" Erza said angrily.

"Simon said I was far cuter than you when I sung." Kagura replied and went into Erza's face while everyone who had gathered turned to see what the commotion was about.

"A brother is supposed to cheer for his younger sister."

"The same goes for the father."

"There is only one way to decide this." Erza said as she re equipped into dress. "I will act, you will sing."

"Deal, they will decide who is the best" Kagura said as she waved to everyone around them.

**_THE END_**

**Writers thoughts:**

Homecoming is an idea that popped into my head right after I finished re reading the Grand Magic games arc in the manga as I prepared to write a critique on the latest developments of Fairy Tail.

During that arc, although I do find it flawed to a degree, the development of Erza and Kagura as characters was excellent. Erza, a well developed character in her own right, showed a welcome humility and an understanding of the burden of her past while Kagura, a newly introduced character, showed a multilayered character depth unexpected from a new character.

If I was to somehow classify this story, I would say that it is character development filler. Personally I want to see how the relationship between Erza and Kagura develops in the future since they are both the embodiment of strong female characters done right.

In my story I wrote their relationship as a friendly sibling rivalry. Both of them seem to lack a 'sister' in their lives (a character that they can relate with and with who they can both fully open themselves) and since Hiro Mashima threw the 'sister' line in the manga it was a no brainer as to the direction I should take in this little fan fiction story.  
The hardest part of this story was Kagura, since we only saw her at the Grand Magic games I didn't have a lot of source material to base her on. What I ended up with was two completely different interaction tropes for her. The first is a lighter variant of her cool demeanor she showed during the Grand Magic games, while the other was everything that had to do with her interactions with Erza.

Admittedly Kagura calmed down considerably at the end of the Grand Magic games arc but would she continue to act as such in the future? I believe that to the people close to her she would undoubtedly act with a far calmer demeanor but she would still keep her disciplined façade up for everyone else.

The plot for the story itself is pretty straightforward. They both find out that something is going on at the ruins of their home village and they both decide to take the job. I was half tempted to write a bigger story about a dark guild occupying the village itself but I decided against it for two reasons.

First I am sure that I wouldn't hold back on the dark factor and thus it wouldn't be Fairy Tail anymore and second it would take too long; I have to finish my military responsibilities and I do have to actually continue on my primary writing project that I hope to see published in the future.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

EDIT: I apologize for not taking care of the time skips, I didn't notice that some functions of word do not transfer when the story is published.


End file.
